Stephen Arthur was born in 1954 in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he is a film maker and animator, after earlier work authoring screenplays. He studied at the University of Southern California, where he received an Master of Fine Arts degree in film production, and also at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Masters degree in biological sciences.
Scope and content
The collection consists of three video tape recordings, entitled "The Recess", 1995, time 00:01,37. animation by warping of facial features on photographs, super low budget output to video; "Hybrid Vigour", 1994, time: 00:02.13, animation of Surrealist paintings by biologist/author Desmond Morris, super low budget output to video; and "Touched Alive", 1996, time: 00:01.45, animation of paintings by Jack Shadbolt, 35 mm film on video. Accompanying these recordings are a black, blank book intended by the artist for responses from viewers, and two writing pens with blue ink.
Notes
The artist cited the following: "Where do people go for alternative animation? I don't know, and I'm concerned. Animation still isn't properly appreciated as art in galleries and museums. If you mention it to curators, they do not seem to be truly interested." Adrienne Mancia, 1997. Curator of Film Exhibitions, Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York.
The artist also invited viewers to write comments, in the book provided, about the work viewed.
